CHIUnE (Tokyo, Japan)

I didn’t take many photos because the person I was with was taking them, but I also don’t want to post his photos in case it was rude to share before asking.

Anyway, CHIUnE was one of my favorite restaurants when it opened but I could never get back in as I was still in high school / college n didn’t have control of my own schedule of when I was going back to Japan. Fast forward to a very nice person who was looking for a person to join them for a meal here off of Foodiesprime and I ended up booking a trip to Japan instead of my original Hayato reservation (ended up meeting some Hayato regulars who mentioned Rainier was in Japan too funnily enough).

Having not been since the move, I was intensely excited as CHIUnE was maybe one of the greatest restaurants I’d been to all those years ago. I’ve got to say this lived up to my previous experience – my dining partner mentioned it may be better to come in spring but I’ve got to say I loved every moment of my meal.

I think Satoshi is a genius and I’m only more motivated to now try and visit Yamazaki next trip.

Courses were:

1. Tennen hotate capellini, intensity refined every bite was an exercise in perfect seasoning. There’s a risk doing such simple food feels cheap or shallow but every bite came through with the quality I was expecting from the past

2. White truffle consomme, stratospheric – the truffles themselves gave their aroma perfectly to the consomme and taste was sublime. Better than what had been my previous favorite consomme before my first visit, the beef consomme at kawamura

3. Shiitake, egg yolk and yamaimo purée – the bites with the shiitake and yamaimo continue to be some of my favorite things ever. The yolk is a perfect addition after I’ve also savoured the original taste of just the shiitake and yamaimo

4. Fried lily bulb with some being topped with shisho, atop rice. Excellent, I didn’t love it at first but the bites with the shisho leaves really just put this over the top

5. Seikogani chawanmushi, intense but delicious. Kurosaki’s echizengani chawanmushi was still lingering in my mind from lunch that day but this was just underneath it. The chawans this trio were just so insane at the places that did good ones

6. The Daikon, one side cooked and finished either a bit more salt. Always an extremely fun progression – the final bites displaying a perfect level of salinity

7. Torafugu karaage atop a bed of leeks, insane. I loved this a lot – the breading was maybe the best seasoned breading I’ve ever had and the meat was cooked perfectly. I didn’t get fugu the whole trip and then I had it at Kurosaki (excellent) and here – I even got the nikogori I love

8. The jikasei Kurobuta chorizo and shaved mushroom atop the eggplant purée. I fucking hate eggplant and I loved this dish, there’s really not much to say – just executed so well. I’d not had it before but had seen it become a staple on the menu in the time I couldn’t come again. It was great to finally try it again

9. Gifu duck with a namenko mushroom purée and duck jus, excellent – one of the best duck dishes ever. There’s very few that compare to this

10. The Kurobuta pork, grilled in that sauce. Great, this was like the one thing I remember being a little improved in the past

11. Matsubagani gohan, a great final savoury. With this I think I ended up meeting my big winter crab goals for this trip which was super fun

12. Shaoxing ice cream, perfect temp’d – it’s odd to call the dessert of a meal in which I loved almost everything the best course but I think I have to. I don’t think I’ve had a better ice cream before, full stop. Maybe the homemade coffee liquor ones I made myself? But that’s a preference thing – everyone loved this and I’m no exception

CHIUnE is one of my favorite restaurants ever and I’m so glad to have been able to go back and have it live up to everything I remembered. Satoshi ended up following me and it was just such a great experience overall – I’m definitely coming back. I’ve gotta see what Yamazaki is about as well, that was the big non-sushi miss for me this go around